Arizona House OKs anti-‘revenge porn’ bill

PHOENIX — The Arizona House on Monday unanimously approved a bill aimed at
stopping jilted lovers from posting explicit pictures of their former flames
online to get revenge.

The measure sponsored by Rep. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, would make it a felony
to post nude photos of a person without their written consent.

“As technology changes, people invent new ways of hurting folks,” Mesnard
said. “If at the end of the day we send pictures to somebody in the context of
a loving relationship, we should not have to wonder what that person is going to
do.”

House Bill 2515 is one of many measures being considered by lawmakers across
the nation in response to the posting of “revenge porn” that has been made
easier by the growth of social networking sites. Last year, California made it a
misdemeanor to post such images.

Members of an Arizona House committee that passed the bill in February
expressed concern that the proposal was too broad and could inadvertently target
teens who “sext.”

“Sexting” involves sending racy images to peers that are sometimes resent to
others. Current law makes the practice a petty offense.

Mesnard said an amendment to the bill addressed those concerns.

Nobody spoke in opposition to the bill Monday. It now heads to the Senate.